10. Citations & Plagiarism

10.1 Plagiarism

Plagiarism is the unacknowledged use of another person's words or ideas as if they are your own. This includes:

taking someone else's paper and turning it in as your own

copying sentences word-for-word from a source

quoting someone's words without quotations

paraphrasing someone's idea without giving credit

using a substantial amount of information from someone else that makes up a majority of your paper even though you have given credit to the original source

Plagiarism is an academic offense and can have severe consequences. At Butte College, the consequences of plagiarism can range from failing a course to long-term suspension from the College.

While some students plagiarize for various reasons, many students commit plagiarism unintentionally. So it is important to be aware of different forms of plagiarism and make sure you use the information ethically and cite the sources correctly to avoid plagiarism.